25 years ago, Henry Selick made his own take on Tim Burton's Beetlejuice
Polygon
by Brian VanHookerFebruary 23, 2026
AI-Generated Deep Dive Summary
Henry Selick, renowned for his groundbreaking stop-motion animations like *The Nightmare Before Christmas* and *Coraline*, ventured into live-action filmmaking with *Monkeybone* 25 years ago. This ambitious project, blending live-action with stop-motion, puppetry, and computer effects, aimed to capture the dark humor of Tim Burton's *Beetlejuice*. However, the result was widely criticized as a failure, leaving audiences indifferent or even annoyed. Despite Selick's illustrious career in animation, *Monkeybone* stands out as a notable misstep, highlighting the challenges of merging different art forms in live-action cinema.
Selick's transition from stop-motion to live-action marked a significant shift for the filmmaker, who had
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Originally published on Polygon on 2/23/2026